Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in web and graphic design but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ruth Emode, Founder of Dynamite Sites Inc., located in Toronto, ON, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Dynamite Sites is a web design and digital marketing agency, and I help solopreneurs, and small and medium-sized businesses and organizations establish or redesign their digital presence and promote their products and services. Nearly everyone I talk to needs a website or to improve their current one, and with the pace of technology moving so quickly, many need help with navigating the backend and learning about all the options available to make a stellar impression online. Dynamite Sites is a one-stop-shop because I can also provide:

  • Web hosting
  • Security and maintenance packages
  • Logo design
  • Graphic design
  • Copywriting
  • Basic or advanced SEO
  • Ad campaigns

In addition, I also offer tech tutorials to teach you how to manage your site to the degree that you want because nothing feels more empowering than gaining more control over your business and its growth.

Tell us about yourself

Oddly enough, I started off as an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instructor, teaching at a local university and college, but the pandemic pushed me to pivot since student enrollment numbers dropped dramatically. The truth is I'd wanted to switch careers for years, but I never really wanted to go back to school, so I wasn't sure which path to choose. My partner, a serial entrepreneur who once made websites for a living, inspired me during the lockdowns to start my own business. I started with Miss Ruth's English Podcast, an e-learning platform to teach spoken English, especially pronunciation, and that's when the web design bug bit me. I learned so much from experimenting with my own site and marketing it that I realized I had a knack for it and decided to make this new world my focus. If you'd told me 5, 10 years ago that I would be making websites for people and doing marketing, I never would've believed you; it seemed so contrary to my interests as a humanities major back in school. But man, am I grateful for some of the surprising turns life takes.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Right now, my biggest accomplishment is winning a request for a proposal to redesign a non-profit site. It's wonderfully challenging and, to me, the ultimate sign that my autodidactic way of learning has really paid off because I feel so much more confident in what I'm doing and how I communicate it to others than I did even a couple of months ago. Modern Western society wants us to believe that the only way to learn and master a subject is in the classroom, but in my opinion, one of the most natural ways of learning is to have an actual goal or a real need, figure out what you have to do to fulfill it, and then get to work, letting the trial-and-error process guide you. In the past, you couldn't convince me that reading a book on HTML or CSS would be interesting, but since it's tied to my success as a business owner, I find them quite fascinating. I also love that I can help charities and community organizations because contributing to the world around me is an important value of mine.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The challenge that most small business owners have is differentiating themselves in a field that's full of competition. Finding clients in web design and digital marketing can be tricky with so many freelancer platforms out there or well-established agencies. However, fortunately, I've come to understand the importance of networking and building relationships, and so I'm working on building a circle of like-minded professionals around me to help scale my business. It's already working since I've got logo designers, copywriters, videographers, and SEO specialists I can partner with on projects and vice versa.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

First, there's no avoiding learning sales. Even if you've got ad campaigns running for you, you need to develop the language to persuade potential customers of your value when you speak, write emails, or talk on the phone. As a former teacher, sounding sales-y was such a turnoff, but now thanks to some entrepreneurial training I took, I see it as explaining the change you can make in someone's life instead of just asking for money :) Second, keeping up that professional development as much as you can is vital because the knowledge and skills you gain can lead to new products or services you offer or help you differentiate yourself more in the market. Third, it's necessary to attend networking events, not just to gain clients but referral partners, who can help you expand your offerings and teach you a lot as well.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I absolutely love the independence becoming an entrepreneur has given me. I never thought I'd enjoy working from home and could do without the chitchat of colleagues or the laughs with my students. But the freedom to just focus on work without office politics interfering, not commute every day, set your own schedule, interrupt the day with walks and exercise, be in charge of your own goals and potentially make more than just a salary is completely intoxicating. No going back for me.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: http://www.dynamitesites.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruth-emode/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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